Accounts of Some Unnamed Messengers

According to an authentic tradition, Amir al-Mu’minin said that the holy Prophet said: Allah appointed a Messenger for the people. He propagated to them for forty years but they did not believe in him. They used to enjoy a festival on a certain day in their house of worship. When they assembled, there on that day their Prophet also went there and told them to Believe in only one Allah. They replied, “If you are telling the truth then ask your Allah to provide us with fruits having the color of our clothes-their clothes were yellow.” The Prophet pushed a dry piece of wood in the earth and prayed to Allah. That staff became green and bore yellow fruits. They ate the fruits. Then miraculously what happened was that the pulp of the seeds thrown out by those whose intention was to believe became sweet and that of those who did not intend to become faithful turned bitter.
It is mentioned in a reliable tradition that Imam al-Ridha said, Allah revealed to one of His Messengers that he should eat the first thing that came before him the next morning, hide the second, accept the third, not disappoint the fourth, and evade the fifth. The Prophet proceeded from his place the next morning.

First of all a big black hill came in front of him. He thought, My Lord! you have commanded me to eat it up but how? Then he pondered surely my Lord will not ask me to do a thing which I cannot do? So he walked towards that mountain, and as he advanced closer it became smaller and smaller until finally it took the form of a morsel and he devoured it. It tasted better than anything he had eaten before. Going on further, he confronted a golden plate. He told himself, My Lord has ordered me to hide it. So he dug a pit and concealed it. After walking further, when he looked back he observed that the plate could be seen. He told himself, I have done what my Lord had instructed me do to do and therefore I am not responsible for its reappearance. After walking still further, he saw a bird followed by an eagle. The fleeing bird came to the Prophet and began to hover over him. The Prophet thought that his Lord had enjoined upon him to accept it. Therefore, he opened up his sleeve and the bird entered it. In the meanwhile, the eagle also arrived there and said to the Prophet: You have caught my prey even though I was after it for several days.

The Prophet thought he should not disappoint the eagle. So he cut a piece of flesh from his own thigh and gave it to the eagle and proceeded further until he reached a corpse which had decomposed and was giving out a bad smell. It was full of worms. The Prophet recalled that his Lord had dictated him to avoid it. So he ran away from it and returned home. At night, he had a dream wherein someone asked him whether he knew what was behind all those things which he had done according to his Lord’s orders. He replied in the negative. So he told him: The mountain stood for anger (rage or fury) because when a man becomes furious he forgets himself but when he looks at himself and recognizes himself his anger cools and finally it becomes like a morsel of food pleasing enough to eat (and you got an idea of its tastefulness). That golden plate is a good deed (amal e Salih). Whenever a slave hides his good deed from the eyes of others Allah makes it apparent to them so that people may admire what lies hidden for them in the Hereafter. The fleeing bird is a man who gives you good counsel. It is better for you to accept a good counselor’s admonition. The eagle was the embodiment of a man who came to ask something from you. So do not disappoint such needy persons. The rotten and foul corpse was backbiting. So always refrain from talking bad about anyone in his absence.

It is narrated from Imam as-Sadiq that Allah revealed to a Prophet of The Israelites that if you want to meet Me in the Holy Precinct on the Day of Judgment then be gloomy, sorrowful, lonely and a stranger in the world like that lonely bird which during the night, being frightened by other birds hides itself in solitude and seeks refuge in its Lord.

It is recorded in reliable sources from Imam as-Sadiq that Allah revealed to a Prophet of The Israelites to inform his people that My standing Law with reference to each and every human inhabitation is that if their residents, after enjoying my bounties turns toward the things disliked by Me then I also do what they dislike i.e.. I turn bounties into troubles for them. Similarly, there is no place wherein if the residents, after disobeying Me suffer from My chastisement and then they turn toward the deeds pleasing to me then I also turn those deeds displeasing them into pleasing ones. So make it clear to them that My Mercy overrides My anger so they must never despair of My kindness as it is not difficult for Me to forgive their sins. Also inform them that in a fit of fury they must not invite my wrath and should not hold my friends low in their sight, because some of My chastisements are such which can never be tolerated by any of My creations.

It is recorded in reliable sources from Imam al-Ridha that Allah directed one of his Messengers through revelation that when “My slaves obey Me I become pleased with them and when I become pleased with them I shower My Blessing on them and My blessings are endless. And when they disobey me then I become angry and when I become angry with them I curse them which remains effective for them for seven generations.”

It is narrated from Imam as-Sadiq that a Prophet complained to Allah about his weakness. It was revealed to him that he should cook meat with butter-milk and eat it as it strengthens the physique. When another Messenger complained of impotency (sexual weakness) he was ordered to eat porridge. Yet another Prophet complained about dearth of progeny and shortage of sons it was revealed to him that he should eat meat with eggs. Another reliable tradition says a Prophet complained of harshness of heart and dearth of weeping (kindness) he was ordained (through revelation) to eat masoor (lentil). He continued eating it which resulted in his becoming soft-hearted and he began to weep more (for fear of Allah). Another messenger complained of gloominess and excessive grief and Allah ordained him to eat grapes.

It is recorded with authentic chains from Imam as-Sadiq that a group from the past peoples asked their Prophet to pray to Allah for lifting up death from them. He prayed and Allah accepted his prayer. Consequently their number multiplied so much that they had no houses to live and their progeny increased so much that right from daybreak everybody had to be busy feeding, cleaning, bathing and even taking their great grandfathers to the latrine. They were so busy until night they would not get time to earn their livelihood. Thus their lives became full of hardships. Finally they asked their Prophet to pray to Allah to revert them to their earlier condition and so it happened.
In another authentic hadith it is mentioned that Allah did never pour His chastisement on any of the past people but on Wednesday which used to fall in the middle of the month.

It is mentioned in yet another reliable tradition that Allah revealed to a Prophet that good behavior melts sins as the suns melts ice.
It is reported through the same sources that Allah sent a revelation to a Prophet who lived in the domain of an oppressor king and ordered him: Go to that oppressor and tell him that I have not given you control over My creatures so that you may shed their blood and confiscate their property but I gave you power so that you may prevent the sighs of the oppressed from reaching Me because I never deny justice to My creatures even if they are Kafir (unbelievers).

According to reliable sources Imam ‘Ali al-Naqi said, “In the beginning man did not dream. Allah sent a Prophet who preached obedience and worship of only One Allah to the people of his time and place. They asked him what benefit they would gain by doing as he advised. Surely you are not superior to us either in wealth or in progeny! How can we hope of gaining profits or preventing losses? The Prophet replied, “If you will obey me Allah will admit you to Paradise and if you disobey me He will throw you into Hell.” They asked what is Heaven and Hell.

When the Prophet explained it to them, they asked him when they would reach there. He said, After you die (in the hereafter). They retorted: We have seen our dead turning into broken and rotten bones. Then their disbelief increased more and more. They also made mockery of the Messenger of Allah. So Allah decided to show them in their dreams. Thereafter they came to the Prophet and narrated what they had seen in their dreams. The Prophet told them that Allah wanted to complete His argument for you in this way. While you dream something happens to your souls and you experience relief or trouble while your bodies are not affected nor are others aware of it. Similarly, from the time of your death until the Day of Resurrection your souls will be either rewarded or punished even though your bones would have been disintegrated and broken. Thereafter the departed souls would return to their bodies and reward or punishment would be given to them.”